🚨 Max Verstappen says the current 2026 engine is “horrible” compared to a V8, and says last year’s turbo-hybrid was “also horrible” in comparison.
"It has to go back to a V8, just for drivability already. When you drive the old cars, you cannot imagine the difference in how the engine responds, or the drivability you get."
"The V8 is so much better. It is so much more free, lighter. Cars are so heavy nowadays."
"It is better to just have a smaller V8 engine, much lighter. Try to really limit the battery size to maybe like a kind of push-to-pass battery. But you should not have it involved or any kind of proper normal performance running."
[@BBCSport]
🚨 Max Verstappen on the current regulations and how it limits driver ability
"In the history of the sport, normally the driver that is the most committed, the latest on the brakes, earlier on throttle, committing in the high speed, they get rewarded, because you just gain that time in the corner.
"But now you're constantly thinking about, 'In this corner I might have to hold in a bit. Go later on throttle. Or brake earlier. Or lift off. And then I have more top speed.' Stuff like that. It's so unnatural. It's so not how it should be.
"No disrespect. And I hope no-one picks up on this. But look at Yuki [Tsunoda]. He jumps in the [Racing Bulls] car [at the Dutch Grand Prix]. Never driven the car before. Immediately competitive.
"Liam [Lawson] jumps from the Racing Bulls to the Red Bull - immediately competitive. It's because these cars are numb to your driver inputs.
"Of course, yes, you still have to do a good lap. And you still have to commit. The fastest drivers will always come out on top. But it's really, really limited, like a choke hold or something. You're held back."
[@BBCSport]
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🗣️ Peter Windsor: “Absolutely as good as anything Max has ever done. […] There’s no doubt that car is a real dog. […] They’ve got this horrendous issue still with the power unit […] and Max was just sitting there at the end of the pit straight for two, three seconds with the engine just going nowhere, losing speed long before the braking area. […] If you want a definition of a world champion, it was Max Verstappen in Hungary yesterday. Absolutely brilliant.” #F1
Full Pod: https://t.co/7uRDBwlDlr
F1 is no longer the pinnacle of motorsport. Great drivers used to win time in the corners by taking big risks, late braking, great exits, now they can't. With the new battery regs, carrying too much speed through a corner actually penalises you on the straight. Straight line speed use to always be “free time” now you have to choose between going slow through corners so that you have a full battery on the straight, or optimising the corners but being a snail on the straight. That's the opposite of what motorsport should be. This is also why we see teammates be so close this year, driver skill has almost become irrelevant.
🚨 | Verstappen says the 2026 F1 regulations are 'not real racing':
"You just pass them on the next straight by literally doing nothing."
"That real racing fans understand. The non-racing fans think it’s cool because you just see more overtakes, but it’s not real."